RENEWABLE TECHNOLOGY


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GOODBYE TO DIESEL GENERATORS: IT’S TIME FOR CLEAN, GREEN, ONSITE POWER


Ciaran Cotter, technical director at Solivus, explores the ever-mounting case for transitioning to sustainable off-grid power alternatives and explains how one of


the world’s biggest infrastructure names is using such an innovation to power its construction sites


The challenge was to create a solar-fuelled alternative to the diesel generators currently used to power construction site cabins


To achieve this, Solivus created an innovative, low


carbon set up which combines lightweight solar panels with a battery storage system and a backup diesel generator: an off-grid, decentralised, self- sufficient energy hub. The system works by storing the excess energy generated by the solar panels in a connected battery storage unit. As a result, site cabins can be powered continuously, with the system automatically releasing the reserve energy even when there is no sunlight. The recent pilot project - a modular building with a roof space of approximately 100m2


Feature


- is estimated


to have saved our client up to 14,416kg of carbon dioxide emission and 5223 litres of diesel with a gross annual saving of £9,140, while ensuring a reliable, resilient, clean energy supply. This is a solution they now plan to roll out to their clients. Underscoring this too is a dedicated operations


and maintenance (O&M) programme designed to ensure the project continues to reach its full value potential. This is supported with a five- year workmanship warranty, a twelve-year product warranty and a twenty-five-year performance warranty.


D


iesel generators have long been recognised as a ‘necessary evil’ on most construction sites. Yes,


they can annoy with their high levels of noise and vibration, but they offer an easy and versatile means of providing the off-grid energy supply needed to power everything from tools to the heavy equipment used on most sites. After all, even the shortest power failure on a construction site can critically affect an ongoing project and cause costly downtime and delays. Diesel generators have been the lifeline to ensure this doesn’t happen. However, in our emerging low carbon future,


we need to find cleaner ways to deliver that temporary, reliable off-grid power. The Net Zero trajectory is bringing with it a


whole raft of new challenges for us to resolve, particularly in applications where we have traditionally relied on fossil fuels. One challenge is finding an alternative to diesel generators. As the built environment – which accounts for 40% of UK carbon emissions1


– comes


under new pressure to accelerate sustainability efforts, it must play a lead role in tackling this diesel-free challenge. Solar PV combined with battery energy storage offers an environmentally and economically more competitive solution to providing power for


construction sites that do not have access to the electricity grid. However, it has entailed some fundamental


issues. Foremost, most modular cabins used on construction sites are unable to take the weight and windage associated with conventional solar panels. As a result, the only option has been to structurally bolster each panel to the cabin rooftop, resulting in complexity and extra cost. The rigid form of conventional solar also makes it difficult to store and transport the cabins for further use on project completion.


SOLAR POWERED CABINS Fortunately then, there are now much more flexible, cost-effective solutions. Thanks to advances in technology, the latest generation of innovative lightweight solar panels are a fraction of the weight of conventional panels and have more universal applications for fixing methods, which have opened up new roof space opportunities. A great example of this opportunity can be found


in Solivus’ recent work with one of the world’s biggest infrastructure names. Here, the challenge was to create a solar-fuelled alternative to the diesel generators currently used to power our client’s construction site cabins portfolio.


8ENERGY & SUSTAINABILITY SOLUTIONS - Spring 2024


A MORE SUSTAINABLE FUTURE The energy transition continues to make us reimagine everything we thought we already knew about how we power our world. Yet, by taking advantage of the latest innovation leaps, we can create approaches that are equally as reliable and effective as those which came before – but with the added advantage of helping deliver a cleaner, more sustainable future. We believe that our latest project offers a


definitive blueprint for temporary power supply which can be used in endless off-grid applications in the place of diesel gensets.


Solivus www.solivus.com 1https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk


Ciaran Cotter www.essmag.co.uk


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